Can you imagine traveling on the same train for seven days? If you take the Trans-Siberian Railroad, that is exactly what you will do. You will pass through eight time zones and speed past two continents, as well as the world's largest lake, traveling from the heart of Europe until you finally reach the Pacific Ocean.
The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway system in the world, stretching over 9,200 kilometers. It begins in Moscow and extends eastward over the Ural Mountains. It continues through Siberia, an area which constitutes almost all of northern Asia, to its final destination, the port town of Vladivostok.
Before the Trans-Siberian Railway was built, traveling from western Russia to Vladivostok took weeks—sometimes even months—due to Siberia's harsh climate. In the extreme north of Siberia, ice and snow can cover the land for up to eleven months of the year. Weather conditions in the southern part of Siberia, however, are much more hospitable, with average winter temperatures of about -20°C and summer temperatures of 20°C. This is one of the reasons Russian engineers decided to build the railway in the south; it could be utilized year-round.
Construction of the Trans-Siberian train route began in 1891 and lasted 25 years. During those years thousands of prisoners, soldiers, and peasants worked through frigid winters and muggy summers. They began laying track at opposite ends of the country, and the railway was completed when the tracks met in the middle in 1916. More routes have been added over time, and today the Trans-Siberian Railway connects Russia with China and Mongolia as well.
The Trans-Siberian Railway has become an essential part of the Russian transportation system for several reasons. For one, it is used to transport 30 percent of the country's exports to the east coast of Russia or to its western borders. These natural resources and manufactured goods are then sent on to North America via the Pacific Ocean or to Western Europe. But ordinary people use the railroad as well. It is used by Russians to travel within their country. It also attracts international tourists who want the unique adventure of traversing all of Asia, watching an entire continent pass by outside their train windows.
Let's take a trip from Moscow to Vladivostok. Along the way we'll experience the wonders, sights, and sounds of the world's longest train journey. Traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railway is a great way to meet people from different cultures. Some travel for short distances, some for the entire seven days. For one week the train becomes everyone's shared home. So passengers quickly become friends, sharing food and drinks, telling stories, singing songs, and playing games to pass the time.
There are many trains that use the Trans-Siberian Railroad. The accommodations available depend on the train you choose. You can travel in a first-class, second-class, or third-class car. The first-class cars have cabins for two people, while cabins in second class contain simple beds for four passengers. Some trains also have third-class cars, which are communal spaces with many bunks. These cars can get kind of rowdy, especially if a group of soldiers decides to have a party and spend the night playing their guitars and singing. Every car on every train has two bathrooms, one at each end of the car. Food is available from a restaurant car, although most people bring snacks with them or buy them on the platforms. There is an endless supply of hot water from a tank called a samovar, so many people just make noodles.
Each car of the train, regardless of class, has an attendant. These people are responsible for the comfort and safety of the travelers in their car, so they are very important. They ensure that people get off at the right stops and make sure passengers don't stay out on the platforms for too long. Without these attendants, passengers too busy buying local delicacies and souvenirs from vendors might not notice the train leaving and be left behind! On some trains the attendants are also the people to order some tea from. Otherwise you'll have to get some hot water from the samovar and make it yourself.
The first part of the journey takes us through European Russia. The rural landscape in this area is picturesque. The train passes many small villages where you can see Russian Orthodox churches with their onion-shaped cupolas, and fields with local farm workers. Before long the train travels into the Ural Mountains, which separate Europe and Asia. A white obelisk along the route marks the divide between the two continents. After a day of traveling, we reach the first major stop: Yekaterinburg. This beautiful city is almost 1,700 kilometers from Moscow and is the capital of the Ural region. This is also where Russia's imperial family, the Romanovs, was murdered after the Russian Revolution. There is a memorial to the Romanovs here, as well as many other places to visit, so tourists often get off at Yekaterinburg and stay a few days to sightsee.
From Yekaterinburg we leave the Ural Mountains and continue into continental Siberia. For the next five days, the train will travel across the taiga and the steppe, which make up most of the Siberian landscape. Although there are a few stops, the land is largely unpopulated. Staring out the window of the train at the seemingly endless terrain, you can't help being impressed by its stark beauty.
After two days the train stops at Novosibirsk, the third largest city in Russia after Moscow and St. Petersburg. It was founded on the banks of the Ob River when work on the Trans-Siberian Railway started. Now it is home to opera and ballet companies, theaters, museums, art galleries, and one of Russia's best universities.
The next major town on the journey is Irkutsk, which is where you'd disembark to see Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal is the largest and deepest lake in the world, containing 20 percent of the world's supply of fresh water. Its crystal-clear waters, wildlife, and breathtaking scenery are well worth seeing. The lake was too big to lay track around when the railroad was first being built, so for many years, the passengers of the Trans-Siberian had to take a ferry across the lake and switch to another train on the opposite side. In the winters sleds carried the passengers across the lake's frozen surface. Later a series of bridges and tunnels were built, and now the tracks curve around Lake Baikal's southern tip.
After three and a half days and about 5,600 kilometers, we reach the town of Ulan-Ude. This town is very close to Mongolia and is in the heart of Asian Russia. Here the train route splits into three lines. Trains heading to Mongolia and China begin their journey here, while the main route continues on to Vladivostok. Trains heading to China, however, cannot simply cross the Chinese border. Russia and Mongolia both use a wider gauge of railway track than China, so the trains have to have the lower part of their carriages changed, which can take several hours.
The last major stop before Vladivostok is Khabarovsk, which is 8,000 kilometers from Moscow. From here we finally make our way to the last stop of the line. After seven days and more than 9,200 kilometers, the train pulls into Vladivostok, Russia's biggest port on the Pacific Ocean. At the train terminal, a monument marks the last kilometer of the Trans-Siberian Railway, with a total length of 9,288 kilometers. Until 1991 foreigners were forbidden to visit this city because it was home to Russia's Pacific Naval Fleet. Even Russians who did not have the proper security clearance needed special permission to enter the city. Now you can join the many tourists who get their picture taken beside the monument to commemorate their journey.
The Trans-Siberian Railway not only connects Europe and Asia, it also connects the many cultures along its route. Traveling its thousands of kilometers is the best way to fully experience the beauty and expanse of Russia.